Vehicle parking meter



Nov. 18, 1941. cQA. TOCE ETAL I VEHICLE PARKING METER Filed April 8, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l M mwmwd, wail f1, T00

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VEHICLE PARKING METER Filed April 8, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 art/0W5 fiaberfflmussamjflharies f], T ace, WzYZZ'amIIZ h a'adnyf Patented Nov. 18,1941

YIIIICLI PARKING METER charlesLiaeawlliiamN. woodrufl, andlobert b .Tex., a-lgnors, by mesne M VM I ingtmlLG oorporationoIDeiawu-e Ltcl, Wash- Application l 8. 1937, Serial No. 135,792

8 Claims, (Cl. 194-84) co-act with calibrations l6 delineated on the The present invention relates to a parking meter particularly adapted for use in connection with automobiles.

It is more specifically aimed to provide a compact, eiiicient and inexpensive structure wherein a weighted indicator, by means of a pawl co-acts with a ratchet on one of the members of a train of gears in order to retard the descent or movement of the indicator.

More specific objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the description following taken in connection with accompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment. y

In said drawings:

Figure l is a view showing the casing in section and the operating parts of my invention primarily in front elevation;

Flgure2isaviewshowingthecasinginsection and the operating'parts primarily in side elevation looking toward the right in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure iisaviewofthepm'tsofFigurel looking from the rear;

Figure 5 is a detailed plan of the coin holder, chute and associated parts;

Figure 6 is a detailed section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5; and

Figure 7 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially on the line 1-1 of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a detailed view of an operating arm and connecting link employed in my invention.

Referring specifically to thedrawings wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, the operating parts (see Figures 1 and 4) are contained within a suitable casing It permitting access to the interior thereof for inspection and repair of the operating parts, as well as the withdrawal of coins. The said casing may be mounted in any suitable manner as by means of a pedestal H and the device may be permanently attached to a curb or the like or be portable, as preferred.

Briefly, the device is operated by the manual turning of a knob or lever I! (see Figures 1 and 3) following deposit of the proper coin into an opening II, which operation, through interconnecting mechanism, lifts a weighted'arm, subsequently permitting its descent under the action of gravity, carrying with it an indicator [4 which is visible through suitable transparent windows Ii, disposed in alignment, at the front and rear walls of the casing and which indicator may window panels. Through mechanism later to be described, the indicator H has a downward movement corresponding to any desired unit of time for which the parking space is'allotted or sold, as for instance, one hour, two hours, etc. The coin itself (see Figure'l) will be visible substantially throughout the length of the parking time, through a transparent window I! in the adjacent wall of the casing. As a result spurious coins may be observed and detected through the window. Due to this arrangement, the oflicer or attendant, who may be busy at the time the automobile is parked, can later observe the coin at his leisure.

Most of the operating parts of our device (see Figures 1 and 2) are mounted upon a vertical panel I! stationarily mounted within thecasing in parallel with and spaced from the front and rear walls of the casing.

The indicator I4 (see Figures 1 and 4) is in the form of an arm l8 disposed at the rear of the'panei l8. Arm I! (see also Figure 7) is rigidly connected to a rock shaft 20 journaled in a bearing 21 provided on the panel IS. The arm I9 is urged downwardly at its free end by a weight 22. Such weight 22 is preferably made in sections which are secured together and adjustably on the arm is by means of screws or the equivalent 23;

Descent of arm 19 under the action of gravity is controlled by a train of reducing gearing. This train of gearing includes a-gear wheel 24 which is loose on the shaft 20 and rigid with such gear wheel 24 is a ratchet wheel 25. Indicator I! has a pawl 26 pivoted thereto at 26' and urged by a spring 26" into engagement with the teeth of said ratchet wheel 25. Said gear 24 is enmeshed with one gear of any suitable number of gears 21, journaled on shafts'lt carried by the panel it. According to the sizes and numbers of the gears mentioned, the speed of descent or movement of the indicator is regulated or predetermined. Connected to the lowermost gear wheel 21 is an escapement wheel 29 having escapement teeth 29'. An escapement lever 30 is pivoted at 30' to the panel l8 and it has a rod 3| on which a poise is screw-threaded or otherwise adjustable in order to normally maintain one of a plurality of escapement projections 32 between an adjacent pair of the teeth 2!.

- Assuming that the indicator is in its uppermost or the dotted line position shown in Figures 1 and 4, the same can lower under the urgency when the indicator I9 is raised to starting position.

Rigidly clamped or otherwise connected to the rockshaft 28 in front of the panel l8 (see Figures l and 7) is a crank or arm 39 having an extension 40 and also having a laterally or inwardly projecting lug 4| in which a screw 42 is mounted for accurate adjustment of contact with a link 48 moved in actuating the meter as hereinafter described. Adjustment of screw 42 serves to accurately set indicator H with respect to its associated scale l5.

Rigidly fastened to the panel |8 (see Figures 1 and 3) and extending forwardly therefrom is a fixed or stub-shaft 43. lever 44 is journaled or pivoted which is also pivoted to a link 45, inturn pivoted at 41 to another link 48 which is pivoted or journaled on the aforesaid rock-shaft 20. When the indicator is in lowermost position, the projection 4| On said shaft 43, a

and screw 42 are disposed over the link 48 and in its path of upward movement. Upward movement of the link 48, as by lifting link 45 through clockwise movement of arm 44 (see Figures 1 and 8), results in a corresponding lift of arm 39 and' associated arm I9 bearing pointer H.

A rotatable operating disc 49 (see Figures 1 and 3) is journaled on the fixed shaft 43 and counter-clockwise movement thereof is normally urged by a contractile coil spring 58 attached to the rock-shaft as at 5| and having its opposite end partially wound about a pulley 52 fastened to one side of the rotatable disc 49 and to which pulley the adjacent end of the spring 50 is fastened. Such counter-clockwise movement of the rotary member 49 is limited by the engagement of a lug or projection 53 on such rotatable member with a pin or stop 54 projecting forwardly from the lever 44 at the free end of the latter and which free end abuts a pin or stop 55 projecting forwardly from the panel l8 and terminating short of the rotatable member 49. Thus the contractile action of the spring 58 normally maintains the free end of lever 44 in contact with the pin 55 and the projection 53 in contact with pin 54, and substantially as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

The rotatable disc 49 has a coin recess 55 in its periphery, adapted to align, when the parts are idle, with a chute 51, fastened to the panel I8, and with the upper end of which chute the previously mentioned coin deposit opening l3 communicates. The pin 54 is in the path of rotation of the coin when the coin moves unitarily with the rotatable member 49, in a clockwise direction, as described hereinafter, the coin thus operating the lever 44 by pushing the pin 54 and finally falling by gravity into a chute 58, (see the dotted portion of Figure 1) carried by the panel I8, and from which chute the coin falls in an upright position, into a cup or holder 59 open at the top and at the right hand end.

The operating knob or the like I2 is rotatable on the fixed shaft 43 and detachably inter-fitted at 58 (see Figure 2) with projections 5|, on the pulley 52. Detachment of such operating knob or handle I2 is prevented by the looking or attachment to a pressed flange 52 on such operating member rotatably in a device 83 on the casing.

The coin cup or holder 59 (see Figures 5 and 6) is carried by a slide 54 mounted and guided as at 55 on the panel l8. Such slide 54 is adapted to be pulled to the left to the position shown inFigure1,totheendthattheslidewilldisengage the coin which cannot move to theleft because of a projection 55 on thechute 58, and which will accordingly fall into a till or tray 51 from which they may be removed-from time to time by the owner or authorized agent.

In order to operate this slide 54 a lever 58 is pivoted at 59 to the panel l8 and at 18 it is pivoted to the slide. A contractile coil spring H is connected to the lever 58 below its pivot 59 and to the chute 58, urging the slide to the right and normally maintaining lever 58 in abutment with a stop I2 extending from the panel l8. Another lever I3 pivoted at I4 to panel l8, has a pin and slot connection at 15 with the upper end of lever 68. One end of lever 13 is free and adapted to be engaged by lever 39 or its extension 45, upon lever l9 reaching its lowermost position as seen in Figure 1, to move the slide 54 to the left, in which position a flag or signal I5 carried by the slide will align with the window I'I to indi cate that the parking time allotted or paid for has expired. This flag may have any suitable data delineated thereon.

Normally, that is when not operating, as when an operating period has just expired (see Figure 1) the indicator |4-|9 is in its lowermost position as shown in full lines in Figures 1 and 4.

In normal position the upper end of lever 44 abuts stop 55 and projection 53 abuts pin or stop 54 and these parts are urged to this position by the spring 58. From this normal position the rotatable element 49 and knob |2 may be freely rotated to the right on the fixed shaft 43. Upon the deposit of a coin of proper denomination in the opening ,|3 it will slide in a vertical position down chute 51 into the recess 55. Thereupon upon turning the handle |2 to the right such coin will engage with the pin 54, thereby rocking lever 44 which in turn moves the links 45 and 48 upwardly and to the right. Since projection 4| and adjustable screw 42 are in the path of link 48, such link moves the crank 39 upwardly and to the right, thereby rocking shaft 20 and moving the indicator arm |4-|9 upwardly to the dotted line position shown in Figures 1 and 4, v

the pawl 25 idling over the teeth of ratchet 25.

Movement of crank 39 and its extension 45 permits movement of levers 13 and 68 under the action of spring 1|, thus taking slide 64 to the right and signal 15 out of view. Such operation of the knob l2 rotates the disc 49 clockwise substantially one hundred eighty degrees so that the coin falls by gravity into the chute 58 and is caught in the holder 59. The coin stays in this position until practically the end of the period allotted or paid for, and may be viewed to' ascertain its genuineness, through the window H.

The length of the windows |5 corresponds to the movement of the indicator for any pre-determined length of parking time, for instance an hour, two hours, one-half day or the like, the rapidity of the downward movement in such indicator from its upper or starting position, being regulated and retarded by the train of reduction gearing.

Close to the end of the parking time allotted or downward movement of the indicator l4, the.

crank 39 or extension 48 thereof engages the free end of lever 1'3 which in turn rocks the lever 68 against the tension of spring H, moving the slide 84 to the left, causing the coin to fall into the chute 61 and displaying the flag l6 opposite the opening I-l. Thereafter the oflicer, attendant or other person in authority will know that the automobile, if it is still parged, has been parked longer than the allotted or authorized time, whereby the device is an accurate meter of the time permitted or paid for.

A counter may be used in order that a record may be kept of the number of coins that are deposited in the machine and to this end a conventional counter is shown at 80 in Figures 2 and 4. This counter is adapted to be operated through the elevation of an arm 8| connected to the counter, and normally urged and maintained in lowermost position by a weight 82, a spring or the equivalent. This weight and arm 8| are arranged in the path of upward movement of the indicator l9, and on each operation of the indicator the counter will be operated.

Various other changes may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

'1. A device of the class described having timing means including energy storage means and an indicator adapted to move to an extent corresponding to a predetermined parking period} the said lever.

moving the.same at timing rate, coin-controlled itial indicating position for setting said signal means to non-signalling position and actuating said coin-exposing means to display the actuating coin.

3. A device of the class described having an indicator adapted to move to an extent corresponding to a predetermined parking period, a

rock-shaft carrying said indicator, a crank on said rock-shaft, coin-controlled means operatively engageabie with said crank to turn the rockshaft, position said indicator and then discharge the actuating coin, means controlling the-return of said rock-shaft and indicator at timing rate, means to receive the discharged actuating coin and display the same during such return of rockshaft and indicator, and signal means operated upon substantial completion of the return of said rock-shaft and indicator to signal a termination of the predetermined parking period.

4. A device of the class described having an indicator adapted to move to an extent corresponding to a predetermined parking period, a rock-shaft carrying said indicator, a train of gearing having a gear joumalled on said rockshaft provided with a ratchet, apawl on the indicator engaging said ratchet, a lever, linkage connected to said lever and pivoted on said rockshaft, mechanism to operate the rock-shaft through operation of the linkage, a projection on said lever, arotatable operating means, said projection being in the path of operative rotation of a coin deposited in said means in order to rock 5. A device of the class described having an indicator adapted to move to an extent corresponding to a predetermined parking period, a rock-shaft carrying said indicator, a train of gearing having a gear journalled on said rockshait provided with a ratchet, a pawl on the indicator engaging said ratchet, a lever, linkage connected to said lever and pivoted on said rockshaft, mechanism to operate the rock-shaft through operation of the linkage, a projection on said lever, a rotatable operating means, said projection being in the path of operative rotation of a coin deposited in said rotatable operating means in order to rock the said lever, mounting means for said rock-shaft, a stop on said mounting means, a projection on said rotatable operating means, and spring means normally maintaining the first projection in contact with said stop and said two projections in contact with each other.

6. In a parking meter, in combination, a graduated scale, an associated pointer, a weight thereon, means for lifting the pointer and weight, a gear train and escapement means for controlling the descent of the pointer at a timing rate, coincontrolled means for actuating said lifting means and discharging the controlling coin, and means actuated by said coin-controlled means for receiving and displaying the discharged coin substantially throughout the descent of said pointer and then releasing the same.

CHARLES A. 'lOCE.

WILLIAM N. WOODRUFF.

ROBERT BROUSSARD. 

